1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein pertains to manual propulsion systems for a small watercraft and more particularly to manual rowing systems used on small watercraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any small watercraft propelled by oars is called a rowboat or skiff. When such boats are used to service a larger watercraft such as a yacht or motor cruiser, they are called a dinghy or tender.
Conventional rowboats include oarlock sockets mounted to the gunwales on the opposite sides of the hull. Attached to each oar is an oarlock that includes a post that slides downward and engages an oarlock socket that pivotally attaches the oar to the gunwale. The post, which is able to rotate freely inside the socket, may be easily lifted from the oarlock socket to remove the oars from the rowboat.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,396,267, the Inventor discloses a manual rowing fin system for a small watercraft, such as a rowboat, that includes two rotating fin assemblies mounted on the opposite sidewalls of the small watercraft. Each fin assembly includes a vertically aligned, rotating post disposed over the outside surface of the sidewall. The post is held in position on the sidewall by a mounting bracket affixed to the outside surface of the sidewall. In the first embodiment, the length of the post is sufficient to extend from the gunwale to a point just below the watercrafts' keel. The post is able to rotate freely 360 degrees around its vertical axis when attached to the mounting bracket. A pivoting fin arm with a flexible fin is attached to the lower end of each post. The fin arm is able to rotate upward and downward in a vertical arc around the end of the post thereby allowing the fin attached thereto to be deflected up or down by objects in the water or folded into an upward retracted position against the sidewall when lifting the watercraft from the water. A stop hinge is disposed between the end of the fin arm and to the lower end of the post, which limits the rotation of the fin arm to a 90 degree arc.
One drawback with the rowing system shown in the '297 patent is that mounting bracket for holding the post is affixed to the outside surface of the watercraft which destroys the watercraft's overall appearance. Another drawback is that it creates another structure that extends laterally from the hull which can interfere with storage and transportation.